July 2013 Intelligence News

DNI Clapper Declassifies and Releases Telephone Metadata Collection Documents, news release, July 31. "In the interest of increased transparency, the Director of National Intelligence has authorized the declassification and public release of the attached documents pertaining to the collection of telephone metadata pursuant to Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act. DNI Clapper has determined that the release of these documents is in the public interest."

Updated Report on NSA's Bulk Collection Programs for USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization, declassified report to Congress, February 2, 2011. "The Department and the Intelligence Community jointly prepared the enclosed document that describes these two bulk collection programs, the authorities under which they operate, the restrictions imposed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the National Security Agency's record of compliance, and the importance of these programs to the national security of the United States."

Report on the National Security Agency's Bulk Collection Programs Affected by USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization, declassified report to Congress, December 14, 2009. "The Department has therefore worked with the Intelligence Community to prepare the enclosed document that describes these two bulk collection programs, the authorities under which they operate, the restrictions imposed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the National Security Agency's record of compliance, and the importance of these programs to the national security of the United States."

DNI Clapper Replies to Sen. Wyden on Surveillance Authorities, July 26. "In light of our desire to be transparent with the public about these activities to the extent consistent with national security, I will provide as much information as I can in this unclassified response, which will be accompanied by a classified supplement."

Holt Introduces "Surveillance State Repeal Act", news release, July 24. "Today Rep. Rush Holt introduced legislation to repeal federal surveillance laws that the government abused by collecting personal information on millions of Americans in violation of the Constitution, as revealed by a federal whistleblower and multiple media outlets last month."

Military Signals Partial Retreat from Wiki-Secrecy by Adam Klasfeld, Courthouse News Service, July 17. "Despite striking transparency gains in the Bradley Manning court-martial, the U.S. military continues to classify and redact key elements of the young soldier's trial from public scrutiny, observers of the case have said."

Intelligence Community Backs Off Information Sharing by Bob Brewin, Nextgov.com, July 15. "A recent solicitation issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency suggests the intelligence community has started to back away from developing a common technology architecture to foster information sharing -- a concept officials touted in February prior to revelations that National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden was leaking top secret information to the press."

Schumer, Israel want secret court less secret by Tom Brune, Newsday, July 13. "A month after leaks revealed that the National Security Agency collects millions of U.S. telephone and Internet records, two federal lawmakers representing Long Island say they want the secret court that OKs spying and surveillance programs to be more transparent and accountable."

Manning, Snowden and the DOJ's Espionage War Against Leakers by Larisa Epatko, PBS NewsHour, July 12. "Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who leaked top-secret documents about the National Security Agency's surveillance programs, is the eighth person charged by the Obama administration under the 1917 espionage law. Unlike other alleged leakers, Snowden revealed his identity right away and has maintained a highly public profile ever since."

PCLOB Hearing on Surveillance Under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act and Section 702 of the FISA, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, July 9. "The board's primary missions are to review and analyze actions the Executive Branch takes to protect the nation from terrorism and ensuring the need for such actions is balanced with the need to protect privacy and civil liberties and to ensure that liberty concerns are appropriately considered in the development and implementation of law, regulations and policies related to efforts to protect the nation against terrorism."

PCLOB Semi-Annual Report to Legislative Branch, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, June 28, 2013. "The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (Board) is pleased to submit its first semiannual report, as required by law. This report covers the Board's major activities from September 2012 - the first full month in which a quorum of Board members was appointed and serving through March 2013."

Secret Move Keeps Bin Laden Records in the Shadows by Richard Lardner, Associated Press, July 8. "The nation's top special operations commander ordered military files about the Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout to be purged from Defense Department computers and sent to the CIA, where they could be more easily shielded from ever being made public."

DNI Clapper Explains His Misstatement to Sen. Wyden, letter to Sen. Feinstein, June 21. "I realized later that Senator Wyden was asking about Section 215 metadata collection, rather than content collection. Thus, my response was clearly erroneous-- for which I apologize."